Over 14,800 Free Speech Violations, 117 Arrests, 8 Journalists Killed in India in 2025: A Brutal Exposure of India’s War on Truth

India in 2025 has crossed a dangerous line where speaking, writing, or reporting facts has become a serious risk to life and freedom. The latest report by the Free Speech Collective paints a shocking and shameful picture of a country that claims to be democratic but acts like a state afraid of its own people. When over 14,875 free speech violations are recorded in just one year, it is not a coincidence or a minor failure, it is a clear pattern of suppression. India is no longer hiding its fear of truth; it is openly crushing voices that question power.

◆ Free speech turned into a crime: India now treats speaking freely as an act of rebellion rather than a basic right.
◆ Fear replaces freedom: Writers, journalists, teachers, and citizens are forced into silence.
◆ Democracy exposed as hollow: A state that punishes speech cannot honestly call itself democratic.

India’s collapse of free expression is not limited to one sector or region; it has spread across media, courts, universities, films, and the digital world. The report confirms that censorship, arrests, killings, and legal harassment are being used together to control public thinking. This is not governance; this is intimidation.

◆ System-wide suppression: Every space where truth can appear is under attack.
◆ Planned control: These actions show design, not accident.
◆ State fear visible: India fears words more than weapons.

Journalists Killed for Doing Their Jobs

The most horrifying part of the report is the killing of 8 journalists and 1 social media influencer in 2025. These people were not criminals; they were voices of information. Journalists were killed in Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha, and Uttarakhand, while a social media influencer was killed in Punjab. This wide spread shows that no part of India is safe for truth-tellers.

◆ Truth punished with death: Reporting facts has become life-threatening.
◆ State failure everywhere: Killings happened across multiple states without protection.
◆ Message of terror: Killing journalists scares hundreds of others into silence.

A country where journalists are murdered with such frequency is not facing a crisis of law and order alone; it is facing a crisis of conscience. India’s silence and weak response to these killings clearly show that press freedom is not a priority.

◆ No justice for victims: Killings are recorded, but accountability is missing.
◆ Fear spreads fast: One killing silences many voices.
◆ Global shame: Such deaths damage India’s image worldwide.

Arrests Used to Silence Voices

The report recorded 117 arrests related to free speech violations in 2025, including the arrest of 8 journalists. Arrest is now a standard tool used by Indian authorities to crush dissent. Instead of protecting journalists, India locks them up. This misuse of law shows that jails are being used to control ideas, not crimes.

◆ Prison for speech: Speaking truth leads to handcuffs.
◆ Law turned into weapon: Arrests replace dialogue.
◆ Fear enforced by state: Silence becomes survival.

Among those still jailed are Irfan Mehraj from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Rupesh Kumar from Jharkhand, both held under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Mehraj has been jailed since March 2023, and Kumar since July 2022, without fair resolution. Using an anti-terror law against journalists is a clear abuse of power.

◆ Harsh laws misused: Anti-terror laws target reporters.
◆ Kashmir targeted hardest: Kashmiri journalists face the worst repression.
◆ Justice delayed, freedom denied: Jail becomes punishment itself.

Journalists as the Main Targets

The report shows that journalists are the primary victims of free speech attacks. Out of 40 major attacks linked to free speech, 33 targeted journalists. Of 19 harassment cases, 14 involved journalists, and 12 cases recorded journalists receiving threats while working. This data proves that India sees journalists as enemies, not protectors of democracy.

◆ Media under attack: Journalists face violence, threats, and abuse.
◆ Truth treated as threat: Reporting facts invites danger.
◆ Democracy weakened deeply: Without media freedom, democracy collapses.

India’s treatment of journalists shows a clear intention to control the narrative. When reporters are threatened, arrested, or killed, the public is left blind and misinformed.

◆ Public kept in dark: Silencing media blocks truth.
◆ Power unchecked: Without journalists, abuse grows.
◆ Fear culture grows: Silence becomes common.

Massive Censorship Across the Country

The Free Speech Collective recorded 11,385 instances of censorship in 2025. This includes content blocking, forced removals, and restrictions across platforms. India is aggressively controlling what people can read, watch, and share. Such heavy censorship shows insecurity, not strength.

◆ Information filtered: Only approved content is allowed.
◆ Reality hidden: Uncomfortable truths are removed.
◆ Mind control tactics: Censorship shapes public opinion.

The report also noted 208 cases of lawfare, where legal action is used to harass critics. Even when people are not jailed, they are dragged through courts to drain their energy and silence them.

◆ Courts misused: Legal pressure replaces justice.
◆ Mental punishment: Endless cases break resistance.
◆ Law loses meaning: Justice becomes intimidation.

Social Media and Internet Control

India issued mass takedown requests to social media platform X, including blocking access to more than 8,000 accounts in May 2025, the highest monthly figure recorded. This shows panic at the highest level. Instead of answering criticism, India deletes it.

◆ Online voices erased: Social media is tightly controlled.
◆ Government panic clear: Mass blocks show fear of public opinion.
◆ Digital freedom shrinking: Online space is no longer free.

The report also recorded 3,070 instances of internet control, including shutdowns and app blocking. Internet shutdowns punish entire populations and block access to news, jobs, and communication.

Universities and Films Also Silenced

At least 16 serious cases of censorship in academia were recorded, showing that universities are no longer safe spaces for ideas. The report also highlighted film censorship, including the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting denying permission to screen 19 films at the International Film Festival of Kerala.

The report also raised serious concern about the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, notified in November, warning that it could weaken journalism and dilute the Right to Information Act.

What This Report Clearly Proves

This report proves beyond doubt that India in 2025 is actively destroying free speech. With over 14,875 violations, 117 arrests, 8 journalists killed, 11,385 censorship cases, and 3,070 internet controls, the data shows a full-scale attack on freedom. This is not democracy; this is control through fear.